What if "I" weren't here?

I may be having an existential crisis. I'm not sure; I don't really think that's what it is, but let's call it that for the time being.

Please follow along with me here.

Imagine that "I" am your toddler "I DO IT!" son; your "You're not my Mommy!" step-child; your "Dad, you ruin EVERYTHING!" teenage daughter. "I" am a total pain in your ass, more often than not, but you still love "me", right?

Imagine that "I" am your best friend; your "soul mate"; your spouse. Sometimes, "my" quirks get under your skin, but you still love "me", right?

Imagine I'm your classmate; your co-worker; your teacher; your boss. There is plenty you don't know about "me" but we get along; we're sorta "friends", right?

Imagine I'm your sibling; your parent; your aunt/uncle/grandparent. We've had our differences throughout our lives, but you still love "me", right?

*****

Now imagine I'm no longer here. Or possibly never was.
How would your life be different?

I'm not suggesting that I need to be George Bailey or Nic Cage's character, being shown a "glimpse" of some other life. I know I've recently requested a "do-over". That's not what this is about. Just imagine that I'm not here.

Would your "diet" be healthier or worse? Would you exercise more or less?  Would you be sleeping more or less? With more or fewer partners? ;) Would you have the same pets, or none at all, or some that are completely different than the ones I brought into your life (assuming "I" brought an animal into your life)? Would you have tattoos? Piercings? Funky haircuts? Funky colors in your hair? Would you play more games or fewer, or different kinds of games? Would you watch more or less television? More or fewer movies? More or less Porn? ;) Would you be writing or painting or reading or sculpting or singing or knitting or crafting or dancing or working with wood or machines, more or less than you do now? Would you be doing the job that you currently do? Would you live in the same neighborhood? or town? or country? Would you travel more or less?

Think about these things, please. If enough people answer these questions honestly in the comments, then I'll give you my answers as a follow-up.

*****

For the record, I think I already live enough in "The Now" that I'm not really having an existential crisis. I had made a decision at the beginning of the year to blog daily, and recently, I've found that it wasn't the creative outlet (or PUSH) that I was expecting, so I opted to cease blogging daily. I think, since I made the decision to NOT blog daily, I have only NOT blogged on one day. That was the day that sent Lee over to another blog, because he was afraid I'd be gone forever. That was Lee, imagining that I'm No Longer Here! Being all prescient and shit; possibly foretelling of This Exact Post! Way to go, Lee!

Ennyhoo. Please comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Just pretend I'm not here. ;)

I get to go to WORK today! UPDATED

Yes, I DID just sing-song that title atcha. Did you sing-song it at ME?

So here's what I look like Right Now:

they're gonna gussy me -up once I get to set, so hair's in rollers
and NO FACE

I've already done my laundry, and some mall-walking, and now I REALLY have to remove this purple nail polish, 'cuz I'm pretty sure the lady I'm "doubling" for on the magazine cover that's part of a movie (was that even remotely followable? 'cuz I wrote it, and I'm not sure what I said here!) is polish-free.

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

I have a late call time. We're doing a photo shoot for a satirical magazine. The magazine already exists in real life, but this is a movie, so we have to use real people to make it look like the magazine that already exists in real life. No, I can't tell you the name of the movie. Besides, once it's released, it could have a different name anyway.

Ennyhoo. I get to go to work today; I get to go to work today!
UPDATED: Once I got to set, EVERYONE knew who I was (because EVERYONE had seen the magazine cover).  And there was a peacock on the lawn of the house where we were shooting. I'm already home from work today; I'm already home from work today!

"gussied" - so little makeup, but plenty of hairspray
that I've already run my fingers through now that we're done.
Still, I love that my hair holds a curl in California.

Are YOU as blessed as I am?

Welcome, Algeria!

I was just checkin' my stats, as I do, when I saw this BRIGHT GREEN patch in the middle of the top of Africa, and I was all, like, Hello, Africa! Who did you send me? And then, of course, doing further "research", I saw that Algeria has never been welcomed here before, so this must be your first visit.

As I say to all of my first-time and returning readers, WELCOME. I hope the post or posts you read told you something interesting, or you gained a little insight into my life, or maybe caused you to wonder "who the hell is this chick?"

No matter. Welcome. Please take some time to peruse the archives, so you'll have all the answers to all of your questions, as long as they're not, I dunno, about biology or astrophysics or Quantum Chemistry. I don't know nothin' about any of that. But you know, if you wanna know something about me, well then, I may have already told you in the Archives (no, I don't have an FAQ), or if not, maybe you'd like to actually ASK me.

I have made a couple of changes to the layout here, even SINCE you visited the first time, Algeria! And, you know, probably since the last time all the rest of y'all visited. 'Cuz, ya know, it happened literally five minutes ago. So check me out; WELCOME, all; bring friends next time. And pudding.

90 Years of Central Casting!

No, not me personally. That would make me {really, incredibly} OLD. In fact, I'm not aware that there is a single human being on the planet who is celebrating a 90-year personal affiliation with Central Casting. The company has been celebrating its existence, though, and since I've had at least a dozen years' of personal affiliation with them, I celebrate, too.

Yesterday, I walked over there to attend a class. It was Central Casting University 201: The Stand-In. with Jason Roberts, DGA. This man spoke to us for two-plus hours about everything that is expected of stand-ins as well as background actors, and he may as well have been telling the story of "My Life in the Film and Television Industry". Seriously. MY life.

So I was pretty pleased to have the minute or so to speak one-on-one with him at the end of the "class", to let him know that I was the person whose story he was telling. And of course, to hand him my resumé. PleaseOhPleaseOhPlease, Mr. Roberts, Sir. PLEASE hire me as a stand-in for your upcoming film that's not even been cast yet. PleaseOhPleaseOhPlease, let there be at least one actor in your cast that I'm an appropriate "match" for, and PleaseOhPleaseOhPlease, let me not have made a total ass of myself in that moment when I handed you my resumé. PleaseOhPleaseOhPlease, have noticed during the two hours that I was engaged and responsive. PleaseOhPleaseOhPlease.

<cue the music> Dear God, I neeeed this job. Please, God, I waaaant this job. I gotta haaaave this job! something something something

Last June, the first/last time I attended this "class" (yes, I have attended more than once), it was geared primarily toward standing-in on a Multi-Camera television show. I've never stood in on a multi-cam show, so it was incredibly educational. However, I hadn't even built my stand-in resumé at that point as a "thing" I could hand over at the end of the "class" to the amazing AD who'd been teaching it. So, in addition to the education I got regarding doing the job, I also got a little networking education.

not the whole resumé, just a snippet

for Lee, since it creeps him out ;)
can you see how the nail appears to be curling inward?

This time, I didn't learn so much about how to do the job. But I did still get a little networking education. I need to always have ONE printed-out copy of that resumé on hand when I am on set, as a background actor, Scripty, or PA. At the end of the day, if it's been a good day, and I've had any opportunity at all to inform the 1st AD that I'd like more chances to work with him/her, hand over that resumé as a reminder of the earlier conversation, along with my thanks for making it a great day.

Learn Something New Every Day.

Decisions, Decisions

Are you still out there? I have come to the realization, probably today, that my self-imposed "goal" of blogging daily was, in fact, probably the dumbest self-imposed "goal" I could have ever created for myself, in the history of EVER.

Here's why:

1. It's not particularly creative. If all I'm doing is keeping a daily journal that I just happen to publish for all the world to read, then is that worthy of the bandwidth or whatever is required to make it happen?

Yeah, there's really only one reason. And since I feel that that one reason is the Most Excellent Reason, I have made A Decision.

I quit. I'm done.

Not with blogging, kids. Don't worry. I'm just done with daily journaling. I know that you really could NOT care less about whether I take 10,000 steps in a day. I know that, unless I actually tell you about the scrumptiousness I get to eat, you could NOT care less about my walking, sampling lunches at Costco. I know that you want me to take more selfies, and post pictures of the sweet furbabies, and talk about Mommy and Daddy and my siblings and my friends and what happens while I'm on set, my favorite place in the world.

So I'm only going to post when there's something like ^that^ to post. Today is 25 April 2016. I have been blogging for, what? Two and a half years now? No. Longer. Daily. At least, not daily if there's nothing interesting to report. I mean seriously, what are the titles for every post this last week?> 

For the entire month of April?> 

For most of the month of March?> 

Things like "uneventful" and "nothing to report"? Sheesh. How is it, that in all this time, it has taken my newest reader (and also the newest blog I'm catching up on) to point this out to me? I thought you were my peeps, y'all. Thank you, 500, for guiding me to the light.

If you have ANY input regarding this decision, PLEASE, Speak Now. Or Later. Whatever. I check back on comments all the time, so it's not like you'll have to Forever Hold Your Peace. Please DON'T Forever Hold Your Piece. That would be <<awkward>>.

So now, today, let me leave you with Three Good Things:

1. Blogging's gonna be fun again, starting today. Maybe you might like to give it a whirl! blogspot.com is a good place to start; otherwise, if I haven't already linked you on the right, and you'd like me or others to read your blog, link it in the comments!
2. I have to place an order for some crap that I like to order, so I'll have plenty of electolytes, among other things, for when I DO get my 10,000 steps. Haven't gotten 'em yet today, and I'm sure if I check with the non-FitBit thingy, it's probably yelling at me. That's a good thing, though. It does, after all, have One Job.
3. The weather lately has been pretty damn fabulous, and what that means is that my breathing's been pretty damn good, too, of late.

Here's today's selfie, since it's early enough in the day that I don't have to take it in the dark:

PARTY!!!!! Yeah, I gotta keep showing off that awesome long pinkie nail.
The lady in Black... Is still in her jammies... STFU
(you totally just sang that, didn't you? you know you did)

My Weekend Update, UPDATED

First of all, when you finally decide to give yourself a manicure, you discover that you have one fingernail that just grows weird.

they all look good, right? normal? except for that pinkie.
it's starting to curve inward, towards the rest.
plus, it's probably long enough for me to start snorting Coke
... except I just dunno how to deal with the bubbles. advice?

Now, for the rest of my time off:

1. Last night, I was just not sleepy, so I went to bed very late ... so this morning, I stayed in bed very late (again).
2. When I finally got up, I ate some "junk food" (cheese, crackers, olives, clementines ... because if we kept Real "Junk Food" in the house, we wouldn't be able to "keep" it in the house. So we're both better off eating real food, but as if it were snacks). I also drank a cup of chocolate coffee, and then some bubbly water. I haven't consumed many calories today, but maybe because of all the sleep I got, that's why I'm not particularly hungry.
3. Tweeted for awhile; checked my internets; ran a poll among my tweeps as to how I should continue my day. Doctor Who marathon won, 62%, over Rock Band 4 drumming 38%. I was grateful that the poll did generate some interest for both activities. I think I woulda been at least a little sad if one of the choices had won at 100%.
4. So I started with Runaway Bride, where we meet Donna Noble, and then continued that same season with the first two Martha episodes, Smith and Jones, and Shakespeare. I hadn't decided, at the end of three episodes, whether I would continue through Season 3, or skip ahead to Blink, or jump all the way ahead to where we're reunited with Donna. I'm not ready to rewatch ALL of the reboot, but I do like a marathon of specific David Tennant episodes, so we'll see...
5. It was getting late, so I needed to get my steps in. ALL of my steps, apparently. The non-FitBit thingy was only registering 16 steps for my day at that point. Sixteen lousy steps? Are you FUCKING kidding me? So I set my phone's timer for 45 minutes and set out at the fastest pace I could muster. Just as I reached the track at the high school, I checked the status of my steps, reset my timer for 30 minutes, and walked the track as fast as I could. Each lap consisted of about 500 steps, so I did six pretty fast laps, and then checked my status. Still owed 2600 steps! So I exited the high school, reset my timer for 30 minutes, and headed home, around the block. I did manage to get my route all planned, so that once I was at 9700, I could slow to my normal 3mph, and essentially "cool down". Ended up with my average of 10,300 for the day, but I was beat.
6. So I took a long, hot bath. Grabbed some electrolyte water and my phone, so I could see what the tweeps had updated. Gave myself a pedicure "scrub", microdermabrasion'd (is "microdermabraded" a word? because Google is saying it isn't, not that it recognizes "microdermabrasion'd" either) my face, neck, and hands, and lounged. Then Stephen got home from work, and we discussed what we'd watch this evening.
7. He's gearing up for Captain America: Civil War, so we're currently watching the original Captain America, when Chris Evans was tiny, and we first get to meet Agent Peggy Carter. Did you know that Clara Oswald was in that movie? She's Bucky's date at the Stark Expo.
8. I'll find something to eat that is less like "junk food" (probably), and when the movie's over, I'll go to bed.
9. UPDATE: I WAS domestically "productive" before I went to bed at midnight! I ground coffee for the morning, and I ran the dishwasher! Yay, me!

So it has been a good day.

What was YOUR weekend like?

Uneventful?

So, I had another day off again, of course. Stephen got to go to work. We each described our day as "uneventful", which is 100% true for me.

I.e., I got up. I checked internets stuff and played some games in my computer. I checked the mail when it came, and I got the check for my most recent day on set. Eventually, I left the house so that I could do Three Good Things:

1. deposit that check
2. pick up a few groceries from Trader Joe's
3. get my steps in, in a different neighborhood than I normally walk.

Stephen, however, had a "slow" day at work, because the main road in front of his store was blocked off all day. It was blocked off for a parade. Stephen and his co-workers got to attend a parade, without going out of their way or standing in any lines, and get paid to watch it (because of being on the clock, of course, even though there was insufficient "work" for them to do).

I don't call that uneventful. I don't care that I really don't care for parades. The main reason I "don't care" for parades is that I don't like having to drive somewhere, find parking, and then find a good spot to watch people or floats pass by me. Had I been working along that stretch of road today, I think I would definitely have "led with that". But then again, I guess I'm more of a smartass than Stephen is.

So now we're watching "X-Men: Days of Future Past; the Rogue Cut" (because Stephen hadn't yet seen this version, and I was still busy with internetting once I got home from my steps. Oh, here's the one "event" that occurred for me today:

Is this a backhanded compliment or
a front-handed insult?

the non-FitBit thingy really thinks it's the boss
of me. At the top is the comment I had to add
to the 1.77mi walk final "workout" of my day

I really don't like how the "Smart Coach" doesn't learn but thinks it's helping to motivate me. I like that my steps and my sleep get tracked, but it's not good at motivating me.

Was YOUR day eventful today? Tell me about it.

A Day Off

I know what you're thinking. You're all like, STFU, Bitch, I know you always have the days off, and when you gonna get your ass to work? But of course, my response is, Bitch, you know that I wish I were workin', so get off my ass about it! And then you're all like, Bitch, why we callin' each other bitches here? So I'm like, Hey, yeah, let's stop that and get on with me talking about a Day Off...

PURPLE for Prince today.
Purple eyeliner (yes, on my "day off"), purple framed glasses, purple nails, purple cami, purple shorts.
Yes, I was using Prince's death as an excuse to be a grape. Shut up.

Sorry. I wanna talk about when my Day Off coincides with one of Stephen's. Ya know, like today.

First: Stephen, in his downtime, is a writer and a gamer. He might argue my specifying "downtime" but I honestly don't have any idea how much "uptime" brainpower he devotes to either writing or gaming. I know that when he's at his job or walking to or from that job, he's not on his computer. He's probably also not even on his phone much during that "uptime", because, ya know, needing to be focused on things like work or getting somewhere safely. So for the sake of "argument", I'm labeling "downtime" any time that is not spent focused on work or getting there. In my downtime, I fart around online; I get my steps in; I look for work; I try to do at least one productive domestic task; I pet the kitties; I blog.

So when Stephen has a morning off or a full Day Off from his forty-hours/week job, he writes, and he plays video games. He also checks various internet sites, and if he's really needing to calm his brain, he'll color. Aside: he's very good at the coloring. If Stephen's morning off coincides with me not working, he'll get out of bed at whatever hour suits him, and he'll leave me sleeping so he can do whatever in the living room. I stay in bed, even if I'm awake, for many hours in the morning, so as not to disturb his writing. Because frankly, I don't know what order his creative juices flow, or whether there's any kind of "pattern" established. I do not want to be the non-creative interrupting creativity. THAT would make me a Bitch.

When I do eventually venture out into the living room, Stephen will typically acknowledge my verticality. This morning, I had used up all the juice in my phone, so when I came into the living room, it was merely to plug that bad boy in. I wasn't staying. He asked if I was going back to bed, but it was already after 11, so I let him know that no, I was going to jump in the shower. He went back to whatever it was he was doing, and when I returned to eat a little breakfast, I made the mistake of suggesting to him a Costco walking, sampling lunch and grocery run. This suddenly became pressure for him, you see; I was establishing a schedule for our Day Off. His mistake was not just saying, hey, I'm writing, so can we talk when I'm done? Because, if I know that's what he's in the middle of, then he can know that I'm not trying to pressure him. At All.

So we both made mistakes in that moment, and the suggestion turned into a conversation, and that turned into pressure, and we both got a little angsty, in that moment. Once he'd set his laptop down, I knew he was done, so I apologized for my mistake, informed him of his mistake, and we both got down from the ledge we'd climbed. Don't worry, it was only about six inches off the floor, and about three feet wide, so it's not like "jumping" or "falling" would have hurt either of us.

We walked to Costco, kids. We did the walking, sampling lunch. We circled back and "weighed" the items we were considering carrying home, and then, after a little bit of math, we actually put the appropriate items in the cart and checked out. I'd carried four grocery bags with us, and when we left, I had about ten pounds of stuff evenly distributed between two bags for myself, and Stephen carried the ten pounds of carrots. Yes, Stephen likes carrots enough that we buy ten pounds of organic carrots at Costco, cheaper than we'd buy a much smaller quantity of even just ordinary carrots somewhere else. Hard to decide to carry ten pounds home on a walk, but Stephen was okay, as long as I was okay with the other ten pounds of stuff. I never in a million years ever imagined shopping at Costco ON FOOT on as regular a basis as I do.

Once we were home from our shopping, I found time to take another walk to get my steps in, and Stephen spent plenty of "downtime" playing games. It was a pretty good Day Off. I did submit myself for work, but I'm not yet booked for weekend or Monday. One of these days, they're going to rush call me for something. I'm ready. I'm available. Please send me to work, because I really don't like having too many consecutive Days Off.

Do YOU do things differently on your Days Off? Tell me about 'em.

Well, THAT Was Fun!

No, not really. Remember the other day when I went to the government agency to #Adult? Well, I got a phone call this morning from the caseworker, asking whether Stephen had opened a new Unemployment Benefits Claim, four days ago? I informed her that there was no way that he had done that, because, for reasons, he doesn't like to lie to me or keep things from me, and that if I'd shown up the other day at his job (as I had, in fact, done) and he'd become unemployed before that day, then not only would he have had to lie about having lost that job, but so would the other people at the store! As far as I knew, he was still employed, full-time, at a job he kinda likes and with people that he kinda gets along with.

But she still verified his birthday, social, and spelling of his name with me, because she'd received a notice from the other government agency that offers unemployment benefits that he had opened a new claim four days ago, and that he would be collecting $___ per week. While I had her on the phone, I sent him a text message asking him to answer that question, hoping he wouldn't jump immediately to the "worst-case" scenario, but also knowing that he probably would, because he's the worrier in our little family unit.

Immediately after texting back his "nope; I've never filed for unemployment ever" response, he called me to find out what the fuck. I've asked him to co-blog with me this evening, so that you don't have to assume that this tale of #Adulting is simply from my POV. So while I was attempting to reach the Unemployment Benefits Agency (not their real name) to report this apparent fraudulent activity, here's what Stephen was dealing with:

(transcribed) I informed my co-workers that I needed a moment off the floor. I then did a quick search on my phone for "identity theft" and what to do next. The site said to visit one of the three credit-reporting bureaus (I chose Equifax because it was alphabetically listed first), follow their very simple steps of calling to inform them of the situation, and go from there. They (Equifax) then informed me that they would put a Fraud Alert on my credit report and that they would forward that to the other two bureaus. So I was done in regards to that, but I should still call the bank and credit cards, etc. I then left you (me, emelle) a voicemail, asking you (me, emelle) to check with the bank to look for fraudulent activity, as well as please logging in to my creditkarma.com account and look for fraudulent activity there. I then went back to the floor (at work) until my scheduled lunch break.

Back to me (emelle): I was unable to reach a human being at the Unemployment Benefits Agency (not their real name), after working my way through the entire phone tree (SIX MINUTES), before I got to the outgoing message informing me that that office closes at noon. Every day. Noon. So I went online and found the website "Contact Us" form that I could fill out to report the Fraudulent Activity. As Stephen. Yes, I get the irony.

I filled out the form, using his contact info, and taking screenshots of each page so I could email him so he'd know exactly what "he" had reported. I also called the bank. They told me to check the accounts online. So I checked all of the accounts that have Stephen's name on them, and saw no untoward or unexpected activity. I completed the form and submitted it with the Unemployment Benefits Agency (not their real name), and then I logged in to Stephen's creditkarma account. Everything I looked at looked normal. I mean, really, if you're going to go to the trouble to steal someone's identity four days ago, why would you file for unemployment benefits rather than writing bad checks, applying for multiple lines of credit, and wiping out that person's checking account? None of it made any sense.

But I got all of my #Adulting done, sent Stephen the email with the screenshots, and then I decided I should probably get my steps in. In the meantime, Stephen had left his job, during his lunch break, so that he could do some more #Adulting.

(transcribed): On my lunch break, I went to the Social Security website to attempt to create an account and be sure that someone hadn't mucked with my benefits by claiming to be me in a situation that would require collection of benefits (disability or whatever). The website indicated that my Social Security Number was "locked" and that I could not create an account. Since I was under the impression that the instigator had both my name and SSN, and the office was directly across the street, and the phone tree indicated my wait to speak to a person would be 27 minutes, I asked to be excused from the remainder of my shift. I was told that there were plenty of personnel to cover for me, and so I should go take care of this. Whatever "this" was. So I stayed in the phone queue but went across the street to the physical office, to see which option would connect me with a person first! Upon entering the office, I was informed by the heavily-armed guard that I wasn't allowed to be on the phone inside the building. I replied that I was on the phone to them because my identity may have been stolen. No dice; he informed me I'd see a person faster than I'd reach one in the queue, and he directed me to a machine (like an ATM) for me to get a number-in-the-queue ticket (based on my arrival time and my SSN). So I sat to wait.

(Me, emelle, interjecting here): You remember that day I did all that #Adulting? What did you take away from that post? If you just said "THE MAGICAL GOLDEN TICKET THAT IS AN APPOINTMENT", then you win! Sorry, there's no actual prize.

Stephen (transcribed): Forty minutes later (or so, because who's counting?), I got to see a caseworker. He walked me through a verification process, checked my "account" to see if anyone had, in fact, begun collecting any benefits from my number, found that my account was clean/untouched. He also helped me "unlock" that account so that I can now access that info online. He also recommended that I visit identitytheft.gov to help protect my current identity. From there, I walked home.

(Back to me, emelle): while Stephen was walking home, I was walking towards him. But we got on the phone, and our paths never crossed, so I ended up getting in my steps while listening to a couple of podcasts, and when Stephen got home, he did that last thing he needed to. When I got home, I asked him to check his emails to see if the Unemployment Benefits Agency (not their real name) had responded to his Report. They had.

"Mr. Nixon, a claim has not been filed under your Social Security Number. Thank You."

WhatTheEverLovinFuck? So I called the first caseworker of the day to give her that information, and we both wished each other a good day. I said, Good Day!

So, a few things to finish with:

1. #AdultingIsHard
2. There's really no reason to immediately jump to worst-case scenario, but you do have to take whatever steps are necessary to protect yourself and your assets. See #1
3. Before any of this happened, my Twitterverse was blown up because of the untimely and unexpected death of Prince Rogers Nelson. Today sucked ass. See #1

I am so happy and grateful for

Three Good Things:

1. The walking, sampling lunch at Costco. I got some steps in; I carried two empty grocery bags with me, and then I carried two not-too-full grocery bags home. The best things being sampled were the stuffed chicken breasts (two in a package, stuffed with rice pilaf, broccoli, and cheese, SO YUMMY) and the chicken-and-mozzarella ravioli (not as "balanced" but still quite tasty). My groceries weighed about 12 pounds, so I logged a workout when I got home.
2. Mailbox Money. Well, okay, it was pay for last week's day on set. I'd remembered that we were being paid a meal penalty; I hadn't remembered working overtime that day. I AM A MONEY MAGNET, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Got that into the bank and carried two empty grocery bags over to Trader Joe's to get more steps in. Had looked at the shopping list before I left for Costco; had not glanced at it again before the trip to the bank; had to rely on my memory to pick up items that I was sure we were now out of. Logged another short workout for the 20 pounds I carried the shorter distances to and from my car.
3. Rock Band 4. I'm gonna spend my evening rockin' out! UPDATE since first compiling this post (but before hitting "publish"): Rock Band 4. I spent my evening rockin' out! I had to recalibrate the system, again, and I had to change the batteries in my drum set again, and I had to turn on the stereo so I could actually hear the drumbeats to calibrate it, but once I took my all-girl band, The Jaded Bridesmaids, out on tour, we got ourselves a manager (Uncle Tony) and a big ol' tour bus and a sponsor (a lifetime supply of horseradish sauce, Woo Hoo!), a small number of loyal fans and some D'oh! And my character, emelle the drummer, got a new top to wear and a new drumset. The other girls won't mind if I spend the band's money; they don't exist except in Virtual Reality. Frankly, I can't even remember their names (it's been awhile since I've played as The Jaded Bridesmaids).

Good times! And now it's time to hit "publish" and rub Cocoa's belly until we go to bed. Whaddya got?

Tired. Probably go to bed soon.

I didn't sleep well last night. Or, well, I didn't fall asleep right away.

For whatever reason, none of my emails loaded throughout the day, so just as I was winding down (at 11:30), I had a bunch of emails come through, and since the jobs I submit myself for notify me of their existence through email, I had to run through every one and submit, submit, submit.

Also, since I knew I was going to be on set today, I had to call the information tape to make sure my call time hadn't changed. It hadn't; 11 a.m. meant it didn't really matter that I didn't fall asleep right away.

But as I lay there in the bed, my brain would just not shut down. I don't have insomniac tendencies, thankfully, so I just kept my eyes closed and tried to will myself to sleep. I think I may have actually fallen asleep for maybe five minutes before I was fully aware that I was fully awake again/still. Even the non-FitBit thingy, which thought I was sleeping, recognized that I wasn't sleeping soundly from 11:50 - 1:15. Usually, I am out within about ten minutes. Not last night.

If you must know, I was planning my "do-over" for if the Universe ever actually grants me one.

So when the alarm sounded this morning, I made sure to "sleep in" long enough to actually get about 7.5 hours of sleep, rather than just accepting the 7.5 that the non-FitBit thingy recorded (or 9:19, as the case may be).

Got up, got ready, headed out to set. I was playing a nurse today, and this was a recall from the other day, so I didn't have to take much with me. I knew where to go and what to do. Good thing, since I didn't sleep well last night. There was an earlier crew in, already working, so the handful of us who went in at 11 got really comfy on the couches (read, took a nap) while waiting for the working crew to break for lunch. There was a screening of tonight's episode during lunch, so most of us watched some teevee while we ate our scrumptious lunch. After lunch, they moved us to a different holding area and then immediately sent us to set to get to work, as they were wrapping the morning crew at the end of their 7.5 hour workday.

We worked just one scene, from multiple angles, and then we were wrapped. I only had time while on set to circle the building a few times, so I left there with only ~3000 steps under my belt.

Got home, waited for the sun to go down so the air would cool, and set out walking. Apparently, I miscounted, and when I got back in, the non-FitBit thingy said I still owed 930 steps! LIAR! It also said that a 9-minute walk would cover it, so *mumble mutter sputter grumble BITCH* I headed back out. I had a timepiece with me, and I was counting my steps, and guess what? I walk about 100 steps per minute, if I'm walking about 3+mph. Didn't know that, but now I don't have to count my steps anymore. I can just choose to walk quickly for a certain period of time, and that should mean that I'll hit my target! Yay for knowledge!

So I had a short but lucrative and productive day, and now I can just go to bed. Maybe they'll rush call me tonight for some work tomorrow. That'd be awesome.

I didn't ask you a closing question yesterday, and I still got comments. Do you LIKE it when I ask a question, or does it just not matter?

#AdultingIsHard

I had an appointment this morning to work with a government agency to see if I'm eligible for a couple of benefits. The last time I had to visit this particular agency was two years ago, and I kept getting mail from them, following my application, but I never got any answers, so I showed up to talk to a person, and I spent All Day in that place. It was all gonna be much better today, though!

If you've ever had to deal with local government agencies for anything, then you know what I'm talking about. If you have somehow never had to go in person to get a driver's license or mail a certified package or get a physical checkup without insurance or request unemployment benefits or training or anything that comes with being a citizen of God Bless America, then I salute you. You have lived an incredibly blessed life! I suspect that very few of my readers have never.

So for the rest of you who have, and may once again in the future, need to deal with a local government agency, I Cannot Stress Enough the importance of the magical Golden Ticket that is An Appointment.

My appointment was for 10:30. I got there with plenty of time to park, as the sign was up that indicates that the Lot was Full. I suspect that that sign never leaves. and is never actually accurate. Neither here nor there; I found street parking and walked in through the security scanner in time to get in a line to let the CSR know that I had an appointment, and he could send me to the upstairs waiting room so I could sit or stand for 20 minutes or so, waiting for my name to be called.

I found a seat and began a manicure. Right at my appointment time, my phone rang; it was my caseworker checking to see if I was going to keep my appointment? Um, yeah, I'm sitting in your waiting area, because I checked in downstairs 20 minutes ago... okay, see ya soon! Only filed and painted three nails; oh, well.

Got through that whole process in what felt like record time, but she informed me that I hadn't needed to reAPPLY for the other benefit; I already had an "open" case that just needed reCERTIFICATION. So I'd need to go back downstairs, check in with a CSR and ask to see that caseworker. Back down I went. Now I was appointment-less, but I was already in the building, see, so I thought it couldn't possibly take too long.

Got in the line; the CSR who eventually called me over was a bit grumpy when she thought I was going to just approach her without being called; I know better than to leave the line without being called! She looked me up; checked me "in" (again), and sent me back upstairs to the other waiting room. She said that if my name wasn't called in 20 minutes. to check with the woman at the desk.

So I found a new seat and continued my manicure. Got it completely done, and looked at my phone. About 40 minutes had passed, so I checked with the woman at the desk. She made a call to someone in the back, and ten minutes later, I was sitting with a dude who didn't understand what I was there for. Once we were finally speaking the same language, he gave me the appropriate reCERTIFICATION form to complete, and he took some of the paperwork I'd brought with me to make photocopies.

Got everything done; got a paycheck deposited and some juice purchased; walked the old 'hood just a little bit (for the steps, of course); got home in time to have a fairly long convo with a mortgage lender who thinks we're not in as "bad" a place as we suspect. Sent him two years' of tax returns so he can crunch some numbers, and we'll know better whether 2016 is the year we buy a house in, oh, a couple of weeks, probably! And I'll know in that same amount of time whether I qualify for the other stuff I ran by the government today.

I did a lot of Adulting today! And tomorrow, I get to be back on set for the show I was on last week! Hurray!

hard to take a handsfree selfie of BOTH hands.
#MyChinToTheRescue!

Sunday, Bloody Sunday! Well, no, not really. But it was smokey.

Apparently, according to "the news", there was a salvage yard in Sun Valley that had a fifteen-car-flameup today. This was about six miles away from us, or a ten-minute drive up the 5 freeway (what you might call "Interstate 5").

I had headed out at lunch time for the walking, sampling lunch at Costco, and on my way back, I realized I wasn't anywhere near my goal of 10,000 steps, so I detoured a little. I walked through the neighborhood just off where Stephen works, and I got all the way to his store in time to hang out a bit and then walk home with him, once he was off. There were Girl Scouts out front, with a Guide Dog Puppy in Training, trying to raise money (and possibly awareness) for/about Guide Dog Training. Stephen got off work just as one of his regular customers walked up with three strong lab-like "puppies", so the getting out of there was fun.

We walked home past a house that I'd been able to walk into earlier, because Sunday is Open House Day, and yes, as far as I know, I am in the market to buy a home, so I'm "qualified" to visit Open Houses. By the time we walked past it this afternoon, it was Closed.

But we made it to the bridge so we could cross over the 5, and Stephen thought that the shopping center near the Costco was on fire. As we progressed over the bridge, I could see that maybe it was our apartment building or the high school across our street, but definitely not the shopping center. We got a little further and realized that the fire was not really "us-adjacent". So that's good. But it was definitely not someone cooking out in their backyard. This was definitely an "accidental" fire.

Here are the pics I took:

Stephen's elbow in the left part of the frame;
we already know it's NOT the Empire (Shopping) Center

The 5 Freeway running n/s in the foreground. Traffic's not bad!

Across all the bridges and on the other side of the mall, now.
Stephen's on the left, approaching our apartment building (past the stone wall). Burbank High School on the right.

Just outside our front door, the smoke is ~6 miles away. This was five-ish in the afternoon.

Once we were in from all that adventuring, we just hung out with the cats, so we're still not done with our Smokey Sunday! ;)

There's a very strong percentage of the me that is me that would have liked to be closer to the flames, rather than six miles from the smoke. The very small percentage that remains is okay with not being close enough for it to have affected my breathing.

How do you feel about fire, in general? Are you something of a pyro, like I am? Or are you more of a fraidy cat, like Smokey?

Sometimes, the ruler of my day is a hermit crab. Other times, it's a social butterfly.

Today was a little of both. Got up late-ish but checked back in with friends regarding the birthday party I'd agreed to attend for their five-year-old. Originally thought the party was going to be walking distance, at the Chuck E. Cheese('s?) behind my apartment building. Apparently got some communication wires crossed, and that party actually happened last Monday night. Today's party was at their home, 20-ish miles away.

So I walked over to Target to purchase my gift and wine coolers; "liberated" a shopping cart from the complex so I could carry the twelve-pack home (since I was walking); got in and drank all the tea and then headed out.

Before I got to the party, host-dad called to see if I could pick up some last-minute supplies on my way in. Sure; no problem. Got to the party about an hour after it was to have begun. I arrived without a child to contribute, but I am a social butterfly, so who's counting?

Hung out for a long time. Most of the kids eventually left, and there were just us few stragglers. I got word from Stephen that he was on his way home, so I did what I could to leave then as well. Not too successful in my "leaving in a timely manner" attempts. Did eventually get out and home.

Had time when I first got in to finish my 10,000 steps and bring in mail, and I've been "catching up" in my Twitter account, when I realized that I haven't blogged yet today, and I'd told the non-FitBit thingy that I'd get to bed by 11:27. Think I'm going to fudge that one.

But I'm done here, and all I really need to do tonight is PUBLISH, brush my teeth, and go to bed.

Turns out my day was actually pretty full, after all. Did YOU have a good Saturday?

Links!

I stayed in bed late today. I wasn't necessarily still sleeping; I just had no reason to get up, other than a quick bladder-emptying that happened around 7:30. After I'd farted around on my phone for a bit, I tweeted, since the non-FitBit thingy thought I was still sleeping (HA!), that maybe I'd go ahead and take a nap. I followed that tweet with a nap. Funny how that works.

Then Cocoa decided that I should rub her belly for a bit, since I was still horizontal, and there was that little pocket of space for her to occupy. So I woke up for reals with giving the baby girl some belly rubs.

The rest of my day was pretty uneventful. Yesterday I'd been on set, and got all my steps in between work setups. Last night and part of today, I had some coughing fits. I know that those fits were likely entirely pet hair and dander related, so my only real plan for today was to vacuum the bed and all of the walking surfaces in the apartment. Once I was officially "up" for the day, I ate some leftovers for my breakfast, which really happened at lunchtime, and then I vacuumed. And then I mopped, too, because why not?

I checked the mail a couple of times, and eventually, Stephen informed me that I needed to get my steps alone, if I were planning to get them (he would not be venturing out today). So I grabbed by earbuds and my phone and headed out the door to appease non-FitBit thingy.

Checked Kelly's website, knowing that there would be two podcasts to keep me moving. Actually read a non-podcast post while walking (with hyper-peripheral-vision vigilance for street crossings!) and then got to enjoy this. Before you close this page (my blog post), PLEASE click on all the links!  Be sure to also open the video of Louis CK; it's fun. Kelly's podcast absolutely spoke to me, primarily because I am NOT the person she and Brooke are talking about. Usually, there is definitely some aspect of my personality that fits, but for this one, I simply related as being the lone "chill" person. But boy, do I know others who will get upset over #FirstWorldProblems!

Once I'd gotten home (and yeah, I "owe" about 19 steps to reach my 10,000 step goal. Don't worry - I should hit that just getting ready for bed), I farted about online some more, deciding what to blog today. I knew I wanted to link Kelly's, but there are some other recent posts that I'd like to direct your attention to as well. Maybe you're not a huge Star Trek:TNG geek like I am. Maybe you are, however, a fan of Wil Wheaton. Maybe you don't even know it yet. He occasionally gets to play a really evil version of himself on shows like Eureka or, more recently, The Big Bang Theory. But he's also an excellent writer, and a downright nice guy who occasionally struggles with Depression and Anxiety. I'm grateful not to suffer from Anxiety. Still, when Wil talks about Depression, I can relate. His blog is here. Check him out if you have any interest in any of the things I just talked about.

Speaking of awesome writers who write about Depression, if you haven't yet started reading Jenny Lawson, then whatthehelliswrongwithyou? She is only one of the most honest and candid bloggers/writers out there, and this post should tell you everything you ever wanted to know about what it feels like to live inside of a Depressed Mind. Once you've decided that you love Jenny, whether as a sufferer of Depression or Anxiety or as someone who supports a sufferer, you'll probably also want to join her Twitter tribe. Yep, it's #TheBloggessTribe.

And lastly, of the blogs I read, I've become fans of a woman who deals more with physical pain in her daily life (but can relate to mental anguish, too). She doesn't post often, and her posts aren't typically very long, but when she does, they pack a punch. You can start reading her here.

This link is to a YouTube page for a chick that I occasionally "follow" on Twitter, and I occasionally watch her "My Drunk Kitchen" videos, because she's fun. She's a little more "out there" than the rest of these links, primarily because she's an unabashed broken person who happens to also be a lesbian. If that ain't makin's for some fun, I don't know what is!

So there's some links for ya. When you come back, won't you comment below? Tell me what you thought; tell me if you've decided to begin "following" any of these; tell me if this will be the last post of mine you'll ever read, because I either drove you away with my sense of what's right, or I sent you into the arms of another lover (or two).

Mailbox non-Money

This year (in June), I will "celebrate" a milestone birthday. "Celebrate" is in quotes for a couple reasons.

1. I don't yet know how I feel about reaching this milestone in my biological life, considering my career is not quite at that same "level". I'm happy to be alive, assuredly. I'm happy with my career successes, even. I'm just not sure if I wouldn't like a decade or so of "do-over". Can I get a decade or so of "do-over"?
2. There are possible ways of "celebrating" but no plans as of yet. It's not until June, specifically seven weeks from tomorrow (OMG SEVEN WEEKS FROM TOMORROW AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE A PLAN!), which is plenty of time to come up with some way for my friends to participate with me. Or not, depending on what we decide. It's very up-in-the-air at this point. Possibly because I'm not sure how I feel about it all.

Along with this milestone birthday, I've got life milestones to cover. Usually this results in some notice (not money) arriving in the mailbox. I needed to get a physical exam, which included a Pap smear, mammogram, and bloodwork. Y'all already know how that worked out.

I had to renew my auto registration already. This has nothing to do with my birthday; it's an annual thing. Still, the notice arrived in the mailbox.

I have to renew my driver's license. This absolutely has to do with my milestone birthday. Because California allows you to renew online twice, I have had the same beautiful photo for the last decade or more. This year, I have to go in to the DMV and have them test my eyes, and they'll also take a new photo for another decade or so. I'm not looking forward to losing my current pic, I'll be honest witcha. Not that I look bad or anything today.

We still need to find out whether we will qualify for a mortgage this year, and if we do, I'm sure that means some kind of paperwork in the mailbox. Possibly within the next seven weeks!

And then, of course, I should have a paycheck in either tomorrow's or Saturday's mailbox, because I had a day on set last week I have yet to be paid for. I also got to work on set today, which means another paycheck next week, and today's work was an automatic possible recall for next week, so this is hopefully a never-ending chain of at least one day on set each week, generating at least one paycheck each week. I really do love my industry. I would love more than one day of work per week, but I'm grateful for each day as it comes.

I've always liked having a mailbox to check. I barely check my email inboxes, and I have three of those (that I'm sure are overwhelmed), but I love the arrival of physical mail, whether it be money or an important notice of some kind. This year is the year of mail for me. I guess I am a magnet (Thank You, Thank You, Thank You).

How do YOU feel about snail mail? Are you eager to check your mailbox daily, or do you dread it, or some feeling more "meh"? What's the best piece of mail you ever received?

Three Good Things

Three Good Things for Wednesday, 13th April 2016:

1. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! Powered up to 100%! I slept nearly twelve hours last night, and that recharged my health points to full steam. Definitely winning this round in the game that is my life.
2. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! Broke a new habit that was dragging me into a pit of non-productivity. That's right, kids, Twitter released its deathgrip on me, and I was able to escape early today, without getting sucked back in every time my phone had a decent charge. I still find Twitter to be more entertaining than Facebook these days, but I think the honeymoon may be over. Whew!
3. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! The industry wants me! Yup, I booked work for tomorrow through no fault special effort of my own. Not only that, it's a likely recall situation for at least one more day next week. Not that the phone system is allowing me to find out any of my situational details for tomorrow; technology sometimes sucks. But I will know where I'm going to be by 8 a.m. before I go to bed.

So let me get this bad boy posted for all of you fine folks, so I can check that phone system for my deets again, so I can get to bed. Yes, I got all my steps in today, at my fully-recharged 3+mph pace, and the furbabies have had all the head skritches and belly rubs they've needed all day, and Stephen and I had a lovely dinner at a great little diner right behind our apartment. Today's been a very good day.

How was YOUR today? Did you unlock any achievements?

Creeping up to full power

85 - 90% well today, Wooooo Hooooooooo!

Slept in for, like an hour and a half today. Wasn't expecting that. I think, because Cocoa came to bed with us last night (for belly rubs) and then showed up again as the alarm was ringing/snoozing this morning (for belly rubs), I assumed that I would be getting out of bed once the alarms were done and Cocoa had run away for the last time anyway. Apparently, she didn't run away for any of the snoozes, and I fell back asleep. ... until 9 or so, when she came tearing through the bedroom, probably right after having taken a good dump. So I got up for my own toileting stuff as well as cleaning the litter box.

Checked my temperature, and it was exactly normal. Had cereal, reheated the coffee, and got sucked into the Twittersphere. Stephen got up and did morning stuff as well, and then he got ready for his evening shift at work. When he asked what my plans for the day included, I indicated that all I had on my plate was to get enough steps in to satisfy the non-FitBit thingy (again, not the full 10,000 that I had been successfully taking prior to my sick weekend; just the ~7500 step challenge I'd agreed to). So just before he left for work, he asked if I wanted to walk with him. Knowing that I walk ~2500 steps/mile and that Stephen's job is 1.7 miles away, I figured it'd be all the walk I needed! Perfect!

The walk with him was somewhat leisurely, and we chatted pleasantly, even though I was feeling a bit of a brain fog. We got him to work on time; we looked at some of the cat trees together, and I walked home by way of a different neighborhood. I didn't keep my normal 3+mph pace; I didn't want to push myself into any dizziness that might be lingering. Got home at 9700+ steps!

Have done little else today. Applied for some work. Had a chance to check the mail, which means I have officially hit 10,000+ steps today. I tried to have a little nap in the middle of the day, and the non-FitBit thingy thinks that I did, in fact, sleep for the 18 minutes I was on the phone with the payroll company regarding my last paycheck, giving me ten total hours of sleep, or 133% of my daily goal. Have put myself on the availability list for rush call work tomorrow. I've consumed liquid and solid nutrients; I've had no dizziness; I have no fever or chills or sweating; my "coughing" has been more of the throat-clearing variety. I've engaged in pleasant/funny chats with some great folks in Twitter. And again, I'm blogging fairly early for me.

If today was me at 85 - 90%, then what the heck does tomorrow at a full 100% hold? What does YOUR day at 100% look like?

Achievement(s) Unlocked!

So, yesterday, I set out to reach 75-80% of my "normal" today. I know I decided to stop being "sick", but I also knew that there's no way one can will oneself from 15% up to 100%, so I was shooting for 75-80%. Good news, kids! I did it!

Here's a recap of my Climb Back to Health:

1. got up not at 7:30 this morning, but promptly at 7:45, after the last snooze had sounded. My temperature read 97.4º. Yeah, I thought I always ran a little "hot", but apparently, this morning, I was running cool. Maybe everyone's normal waking temp (before even getting out of bed) is on the cool side; I dunno.
2. Had cereal, made a fresh pot of coffee and drank some.
3. Got sucked into the Twittersphere. Found my way out and made the bed.

   

   Smokey, many hours later

4. Got sucked back into Twitter. Got hungry, and my phone was dying, so since I had accepted a steps challenge from my non-FitBit thingy (not 10k steps, just an increase of 500 steps over last week's daily average), I left the phone plugged in and grabbed a grocery bag and the list for the walking, sampling lunch at Costco. I did not push myself for those steps. My normal pace is ~3mph (or better); I knew today would be significantly slower. I didn't want to find myself halfway there and having a dizzy spell.
5. Had my walk to Costco interrupted by a funeral procession. Said a "Thank You" that I was being stopped by it, rather than being part of it.
6. Picked up just a few items that were on the list; didn't want to overburden my walk home with too much weight, and I'd only brought the one grocery bag. Had to wait in the shortest longest line I've ever had to wait in (the lady in front of me - the only customer in line when I got in line - couldn't find sufficient funds to pay for her purchases. I debated telling the cashier to let me pick it up on my card.) Got checked out and started my trek home. 

   

   coffee, butter, and Nasacort.
   Are there other needs?
7. Had been sorta kinda counting steps on the way over, and I knew I wouldn't quite be close enough to the goal if I didn't make a little detour. So I rerouted, careful not to overexert, and by the time I reached the mall, I was ready to take a brief rest in one of the dollar massage chairs. I did not opt for the candy or ice cream samples at the mall; I was more thirsty than anything, and I knew that either of those samples would only exacerbate my thirst.
8. Got home and drank some sparkling water. Usually I add sparkling water to my juice, but I was thirsty enough for it straight. If you don't know me, you don't know what a huge thing it is for me to drink *just* water (sparkling or not). #AdultingWin #YayMe
9. Emptied the dishwasher!
   
   Reloaded the dishwasher!
   
   Didn't eat anything else! Probably should, particularly now that it's been hours since that paltry walking sampling lunch!
10. Got sucked into Twitter some more; discovered some work to apply for and did that; looked at my step count and decided to reach my goal by just making a few laps around the courtyard of my building.
11. Every time I have sat down on the couch, the cats have nuzzled up against me on each side for belly rubs and head skritches. This time, I have kept both hands on the keyboard, so Smokey was okay with my proximity, but Cocoa kept looking up at me and meowing "why aren't you rubbin' my belly, Mama?" until she just now gave up and went to the floor to have a bath. Oh, well. She'll be back; on that you can depend.
12. Stephen got in from a normal Monday of work and is currently watching movie trailers while waiting for me to finish blogging. Maybe we'll eat something together. Maybe we'll each eat something, separately. I'm sure we'll both eat.
13. And after we spend some couch time surfing tv or movies in the queue, then we'll get to bed at a reasonable time, and tomorrow, I'll be at 85-90%! Cool!

In other news, today my Twitter feed was blowing up with National Siblings Day and National Pet Day. I have siblings and pets year-round, and I love them all dearly. I needn't make a social media fuss (I don't think), because they all get it. As long as Cocoa gets her belly rubs, everybody's good, amiright? But April 11th is also a more significant National Day for me, and for many others that I know and don't know. Here's a post I put up two years ago. Fair Warning: I don't have "triggers" but if you do, I think it's safe to say that this post may include them for you. Please proceed with caution.

What Achievement(s) have YOU Unlocked lately?

WILLING myself to get BETTER

It's Day Three of being sick, kids. I've been dealing with that low-grade fever, hot and cold sweats, and sleeping my days away for the last three days. I'm tired of it. It was depressing, and I'm done with it.

So I'm willing myself to get better. Yeah, I know, I know. Just the other day I said something about willpower being for shit. Still.

So I got up and took a shower. Washed my hair! Combed it, even! And then collapsed on the bathroom floor, because I hadn't yet consumed enough calories to offset the hot steam making me dizzy. Went back to bed, but not to sleep. Just to be horizontal.

Later, I hung out on the couch. Stephen started to play some Rock Band, and since I'd consumed enough calories by then, I figured I could play a little, too. Hooked up the drums; proceeded to play worse than I've ever played. I dunno why, I didn't feel dizzy, but there's a chance my inner ear's a little fucked up. So I disconnected, and Stephen finished up.

Then he went to take a little nap before he had to head out to work this evening for a mandatory meeting (on his day off!)... and while he napped in the bedroom, I napped on the couch. I'm gettin' plenty of sleep these days, that's for damn sure!

After he left for work, I checked my temperature. 99.9º, close enough for a venture out into the world! So I headed downstairs; not even a teensy bit dizzy. Got in the car and drove to the bank, so I could deposit a paycheck. Got back to the car and drove over to Trader Joe's to pick up a few things that we absolutely needed. I didn't cough on anyone (I kept my distance from all humans) or get remotely dizzy while I was out in the world. I didn't carry anything too heavy, and I came back in from my two errands feeling fantastic!

I don't even look sick. Amazing how hygiene can contribute to your outlook!

So I'm willing myself to get better. I took my temp again, once I got home and settled in, and it wasn't too high. I'll take it again before I go to bed, but my plan for tomorrow is to get up out of bed at 7:30 and live my damn life the way I'm used to! Let the non-FitBit thingy yell at me for insufficient steps the past three days. I don't care. I'm tired of being sick. I'm done.

Whaddya gotta say about THAT, huh?

What's goin' on?

I've been SICK this weekend, kids. Yeah, I know, I'm always bitching about my damn allergies, and I'm still dealing with those symptoms (congestion and coughing, that is all), but starting yesterday morning, I added to those symptoms:

1. low-grade fever. My "normal" temperature is typically about a degree higher than the "set" normal of 98.6º, but yesterday morning, we broke out the thermometer Stephanie had picked up for us at the $.99 store (thanks, Stephanie!) to discover I was running a little hotter than my normal. Lowest temp I've taken was today, at 99.1º, the highest was also today, at 102.0º. So, of course, along with fever,
2. I'm so hot. (I know, quit braggin'.) Soon as I get sweaty from runnin' hot, I find that
3. I'm so cold. (I got nothin'.) I'll crank the heat, bundle up, burrow under blankets, and then return to #2. Also, yesterday,
4. I threw up after trying to take aspirin to lower my fever and get rid of my
5. splitting headache. Now, kids, if I've got a headache, you know something's wrong. I just never get them. I never get sick, and I never get headaches, and this one lasted all day yesterday, simply because I couldn't get vertical enough to consume enough calories to not take an aspirin on an empty stomach. Which, of course, by the time all of those factors were in place, I did not keep it down (see #4). Also, today,
6. my tastebuds went out of whack. Everything I consumed that should have been sweet tasted like sucralose. I don't consume sucralose, because that shit is nasty. So I don't buy "sugar free" items that are made with it, and it is not a sweetener that exists in any form in this apartment. Everything else I consumed (not sweet) tasted like nothing. Like, as in, no flavor whatsoever. Stephen had made a crock pot of hot-sour soup just for me, and it tasted like nothing. I ate some crackers, and they tasted like nothing. I even had a single kalamata olive, in the hopes that it would at least be a touch vinegar-y. Nope. Nothing. So Stephen picked up a jar of kosher pickle slices, because he'd heard that pickles will reset your tastebuds. And they did! Hallelujah!
7. Both yesterday and today have seen me walking around the place half-bent over, because dizzy. I know caloric consumption helps with that, but it's hard to consume calories when a) you have no appetite and b) you can't even get to the fridge. Yesterday was worse than today, and yesterday ended with a major coughing fit. Hopefully, tonight won't. So far, so good!

So I've been sleeping a lot, and I've been not-quite-vertical a lot, and I've gotten very few steps in, and the non-FitBit thingy has chastised me a bit about "good habits" and whatnot. What The Eff, non-FitBit thingy? How does this little activity and this much sleep not tell you that maybe something is wrong? Whatever.

Also, we were supposed to go dancing tonight. There was a birthday party at the ballroom where we sometimes go, and we had RSVP'd "yes". I was really excited for that, and then really bummed that I had to bail out of going. But I just don't trust myself to drive, and if I had gone dancing in this state, am I contagious? How many fine people might I have infected tonight? And since the median age at that ballroom is 70, how many of those dancers might I have accidentally killed tonight? Better to stay home. Still bummed, though.

I'm really hoping that I'll be back to 75-80% tomorrow. I'm not expecting miraculous curedom or anything, but I hate being sick. Probably hate it so much because it's just so rare for me. That must mean I'm blessed!

What's goin' on witCHOO?

Bring on the haters!

I know this post will likely generate some backlash for me, possibly in the form of fewer followers in various places, and possibly in the form of vitriol in comments sections, here and there. I honestly WELCOME all intelligent feedback, so here we go:

I did NOT love Star Wars: The Force Awakens.*

I did NOT see it in a theater, which means I did not have to fight any crowds, pay more for my ticket than I do for a meal, pay for expensive popcorn and soda, or "miss" anything by taking a much-needed potty break during that incredibly long movie. Other benefits of waiting until we owned it on Blu-Ray was watching with closed-captions, all the "spoilery" conversations had died away, and I could watch some very necessary Behind the Scenes stuff in the "extras" section of the disc.

*Now before you jump all up in my shit, let me clarify my statement.

I think the team did an excellent job of revisiting the original trilogy from the 1970's using a present-day cast. I did, in fact, Laugh Out Loud quite frequently while watching. I know that this movie was exactly what the "true fans" were hoping for.

I did not, however, cry at the moment I was supposed to. There was a lot about it that felt very much like a 1940's war docudrama set in space. The bad guys were simply bad, with zero redeeming qualities. The good guys were flawed, well-rounded human beings that we rooted for because we saw ourselves in them, but the bad guys? Seriously? There are very few 100% inherently evil people, and this bad-guy empire (or whatever they were calling that realm) had all of them. My suspension of disbelief is not so willing.

Maybe if I watch it again, alone, with commentary, while Stephen is at work still, I'll like it a bit more by the time I've made my way through it. If I can figure out how to do that with the PS4 remote, in my feverish state.

Have you an intelligent rebuttal? Please comment below!

No, I wasn't PLANNING on getting rained on today.

But LA/SoCal need(s) the rain, so oh well. Ennyhoo...

Three Good Things:

1. Central Casting held visitation with the Union Casting Directors this morning (after taking last month off), so I walked over, carrying Mommy's purple formal gown, some makeup, and appropriate shoes, so I could add that photo to my profile afterwards. Even had a good question to ask (always ask a good question, so the CD's remember you and will book you)!
2. Got home from that, feeling a bit peckish, and since the new Star Wars flick has been released on Blu-Ray, Stephen suggested we do the walking, sampling lunch plus Best Buy &/or Target. Bought the movie at Best Buy, and the rain began as we were heading back over to Costco, very lightly sprinkling. The walking, sampling lunch was really sparse, so we picked up hot dogs, bread, and cheese, and headed for home.
3. Walking out the front door of Costco, we couldn't tell if the light-but-steady rainfall was going to let up or worsen, so we started our journey home. It did both. What a fun way to get my steps in! NOT. But I did hit 12,932 steps so far today. I will likely exceed 13k but not 14k by bedtime.

   

   you have NO idea how difficult this shot is on a webcam!

And now Cocoa has my right hand on her belly, and my left hand is finishing up this post! Yay, ME!

also, I don't LOVE wearing makeup, but when I do, I wanna make sure all that glamour isn't wasted!

How were YOUR plans altered today?

FUCK. I thought it was "time" to monetize this blogging shit.

So I signed up for Google AdSense, which places banner ads here and there on my blog, and if readers have a real interest in what the ads promote, Google pays me, the blogger, for appropriate "clicks". I did not get approved for a Google AdSense account.

Apparently, my fucking blog is a touch too "not-family-friendly" for me to make any money with it. So, good news is, YOU, my readers, Do Not Have To See Annoying Ads For Shit You Might Want, ANYWHERE on my blog! Isn't that AWESOME?

Apparently, I like the words "fuck" and "shit" too much. Oh, and I also talk about the consumption of wine, which might be a no-no, too. I'm not exactly sure. Whatever. Don't send money. Send wine and dark chocolate. ;)

*****On to TODAY! :)*****

Three Good Things:

1. Slept a reasonable amount of time, and did NOT take a nap when I easily could have later. Means I'll get to bed at a reasonable time tonight.
2. Spent most of the day in the Twittersphere. This is actually neither a "Good" nor a "Bad" thing; it is simply a "Thing". A few of my RT's got "liked", so I guess that pushes the Thing to the "Good Thing" side. Also watched a couple movies from the DVR queue. One was an intense action flick that thankfully did not feel like it was shot using a handheld camera, and the other was a laugh-out-loud sillifest.
3. Got my steps in, after testing the temperature of the pool. Pool's still incredibly cold, so at least I'm still getting my steps in.

I've eaten, I've bathed, I'm blogging now. I'm available for rush calls for tomorrow. How could my day be any better?

Was YOUR day better?

#Peahens and #CheesePopcorn and #NotAlone, Oh My!

Three Good Things:

1. I got to be on set today, many miles away from home, with a 7:a.m. call time (originally), which got pushed to 8:a.m. My hair was wet when I went to bed, so of course I rolled it before I drove away this morning.

   

   Kilroy Was Here. Yes, it's late, and I might be punch-drunk.
   Or maybe just drunk-drunk. I think the former.

2. Had a coughing fit on my way in, which was not resolved by eating "miraculous" yogurt. Now I know. Got to basecamp with plenty of time to spare, and my chicken quesadilla was also not a "miraculous" coughing cure. Now I know.
3. Saw lots of peahens on my drive in, as well as all over the neighborhood where we were shooting. Peahens just happened to be blowing up my Twitter feed, so I feel like there was something serendipitous, or possibly therapeutic, about their presence.

   

   yes, I was stopped at an intersection stop sign in a mostly-empty neighborhood
   to get this pic before 7 a.m. ... and then a car pulled up behind me,
   and the driver was all "what the hell are you DOING, girl?"

4. Had an entertaining, albeit drawn-out, time hanging out with the other BG artists in our one-page scene. Taught a little waltzing while we waited. When all the coverage was finally shot, they wrapped us. Short but lucrative day.
5. Got home with plenty of time to make up for the fact that my day on set had been somewhat "still", even though we were all standing together in groups on the front lawn. Decided to take a walk, but went through a process of elimination with our supposedly "bad" batteries first to find four "good enough to charge". Managed to find one, out of eight, that I believe is definitely "bad". So far, so "good"!
6. Walked the mile-and-a-half (or so) to Smart-n-Final (another grocery chain that's almost like the wholesale warehouse atmosphere of Costco, with specific items that we occasionally pick up, like coffee filters). Listened to a podcast on my walk. 
7. Discovered that the coffee filters they had were all bleached, so I didn't buy any. However, I also discovered a powdered popcorn substance, made of "good" ingredients (for the most part, from what I can tell), so that I can finally have freshly popped cheese popcorn right at home. There was some commentary on my Twitter feed the other day regarding cheese popcorn and the lack of ability to DIY but the plethora of "good" brands of pre-popped, bagged cheese corn. When I tweet the link to this particular post, I'm not sure what hashtag to attach so the right members of #TheBloggessTribe will see it. Possibly that one? ;)

   

   had to use my ELBOW to hit the "take snapshot" button on the webcam, but the label says
    "Nothing Artificial" (up top) and "Made with Real Cheese" (at the bottom) - YAY!

8. Listened to another podcast on my walk home; got home hot, sweaty, and tired. Played a little Minesweeper on my laptop while sitting on the couch, waiting for Stephen to get in from work, and actually caught a cat-nap. Dayum!
9. Connected to the interwebs; opened this blank page as well as all the blogs I read in separate tabs, so I could kinda keep up. Commented here and there, as I saw fit. If you like what you read here, you can always visit the blogs  ==>                  on the sidebar there and catch my commenting, at the very least. Or decide to follow them yourself, if you have the time to read more blogs. Comment here! Comment there! Or just lurk! Be sure to click on links, when they are attached. Great rabbit holes. Or not. Whatever floats your boat.
10. Stephen ate some stuff; I ate some stuff; we watched some teevee. I wasn't ready to talk atcha just yet. Needed to process. One of the shows we watched had our second houseguest as a Guest Star in the latest episode. Good chunk of acting!
11. Cocoa wanted some good belly rubs, and she got 'em. Smokey came up for a few head skritches, too. The cats have been attended to.
12. We've had a splash of wine, and now I'm blogging. Still early enough to wrap up the day while it's still today.
13. I'm available for work tomorrow. One of these nights, I'm gonna get a rush call! JOY!

Yes, I had to stretch it out to "lucky" thirteen. You got somethin' to say about it? ;)